The present invention relates to a system for providing efficient web access from facilities in which a LAN (Local Area Network) including a plurality of users, a comparatively low quality communication line, and a comparatively high quality communication line are interconnected. More specifically, the invention relates to a system for efficiently providing web access within transportation means such as an aircraft or watercraft, or a building that makes a contract for connection to a plurality of lines.
In order to provide web access service to a user within passenger transportation means such as the aircraft or the watercraft, which is not connected to the ground through wired communication or short distance wireless communication, long distance wireless communication is employed.
The bandwidth of the web access through the long distance wireless communication, however, is narrower than the bandwidth of web access through a communication network on the ground, and the web access through the long distance wireless communication costs more than the web access through the communication network on the ground. Accordingly, in order to solve this problem, there is provided means for employing a proxy server for making web access, which has already been used. According to this method, the proxy server is disposed inside the transportation means. Then, by storing the contents of websites accessed by a user in the proxy server, and loading in advance the contents of websites the user could access into the proxy server while the transportation means is on the ground or in port, cheap and comfortable web access is provided to the user, with minimum use of the long distance wireless communication. As an example of employing the proxy server for this purpose, JP-A-11-127097 can be pointed out.
On the other hand, recent advances in a Quality of Service (QoS) guaranteeing technique in the Internet has opened an opportunity for a business for providing a high quality line of a type with a guaranteed communication speed with hourly base charge. Assume that a contract is made for connection to this high quality line for only a predetermined time period, in addition to connection to an always-on low quality connecting line. Then, by downloading web information to the proxy server in advance within a period in which the high quality line can be used, as in the above-mentioned case of the transportation means, it becomes possible for even an office that cannot afford to be always connected to the high quality line to provide cheap and comfortable web access to the user.
When the user desires to obtain detailed information during the web access, it is common practice to use a web site for performing a keyword search, referred to as a search engine. It is the web site that provides a service for listing web site candidates that have information matching a keyword entered on a web page, which plainly indicates information the user desires to know. The user selects among the listed web site candidates a site for obtaining the information and accesses the site. If there are too many candidates listed, another keyword can also be added to narrow the candidates down to fewer one.
In most cases, the contents of web sites loaded into the proxy server in advance in the case of the transportation means are determined from web sites the user often accessed in the past inside the transportation means. Alternatively, the contents of web sites are determined in view of managerial circumstances. Consequently, it often happens that the contents of major web sites are selected of which URLs are known to a lot of user, or the contents of sites that have a tie-up with a company running the transportation business are often selected.
However, it often happens, too, that information that passengers in the transportation means desire to access is detailed information that is not included in the contents of the major web sites though it is orientated in a certain direction. Among such information are detailed route to a place of sojoum and information on good unknown spot for eating and drinking at the place where the user is staying. In order to get to websites having such information according to the purpose of a passenger, more elaborate access is needed. Thus, it often happens that these sites are not selected as information to be loaded into the proxy server. As a result, the number of accesses using the long distance wireless communication will increase, thus leading to losses in terms of both cost and user's convenience.
Further, in the case of a business office as well, information that people engaged in the same business affairs in the office desire to access is frequently the detailed information that is not included in the contents of the major web sites, though it is orientated in a certain direction. Thus, in order to obtain such information, it becomes necessary to make more elaborate access. For this reason, it often happens such information is not selected as information to be loaded into the proxy server.